Thoughts Toward Me

Love you all, praying for you. 
 
I just love God’s Word. It tells you what God thinks, the only opinion that counts – in the end.  Can you trust it?  Some atheists and sceptics believe because of the different English translations, that the Bible couldn’t be accurate over centuries of time.  What do you think?  That’s all that matters.  Not what other people think, not even what God thinks.  Ok, that does matter, but not to you, if you think differently.  What you think is most important, because it controls what you hear, what you say, what you believe, and what you do.  Here is an often unobserved fact.  It takes faith to believe either one.  It takes faith to believe God, and it also takes faith to believe something else, someone else (the atheists and sceptics).  It takes faith to believe the Word of God is no longer accurate, just as it takes faith that the One True God who spoke it, is able to preserve it and perform it until the day of His coming.  Either one takes faith.  Faith in what God said, or faith in what someone else said.  If God said it, and you don’t believe it, you put your faith in what someone else said, not what God said.  Jeremiah 1:12 – You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.  Personally, I believe His Word is inerrant – because that’s what He said it is.  “As for God, His way is perfect, The Word of the LORD is flawless, He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.” (2 Sam 22:31, Ps 18:30, Ps 12:6) His Word is flawless, without flaw, without error.  He is the One True God, and His Word was given for our instruction and encouragement.  God said He keeps watch over His word to perform it.  If you believe there is a God, so do the demons (they don’t just believe, they know) and they tremble.  If you are looking for an excuse not to believe – either in God, or anything He said… the devil will insure no shortage of other beliefs from which to choose.  So what do you believe?   Reading in my PRISM time, Psalms 139 one of my favorite chapters in Psalms, verse 17.  How precious are your thoughts toward me, O God, how vast is the sum of them.  Were I to count them they would outnumber the grains of sand, when I awake I am still with you.  Some versions say How precious to me are your thoughts.  Other versions say how precious are your thoughts toward me, about me).  Both should be precious, but which one is this verse talking about?  Is what God thinks precious to me, or is what He thinks about me – precious to me.  Does it bother you that Jesus didn’t speak English when He was on earth?  So translations are required for us in our language?   Some people believe the King James version is the only Bible, the newer versions are heresy.  One lady even said, “I don’t correct the King James, the King James corrects me.”  Hilariously, they don’t know history, and this poor lady in her ignorance is elevating some earthly king to the position of Jesus – the One who truly corrects us – the Word of God in human form.  Their statements denegrading translations that reflect current language, is exactly what the people of that day said against them in 1611.  They berated the King James version – “You can’t put God’s Word into commoners English!”  Just because cultural English has evolved over time, and some translations may use newer words or cultural understanding of them to try to convey what the Hebrew or Aramaic meant - doesn’t mean they are not accurate.  God’s big enough to handle it - and preserve it.  But where there could be differing understanding.  That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in.  You can trust Him.  God said He will lead you into all truth.  This is not an accuracy dilemma, it’s just a listening to the Holy Spirit opportunity.  This verse is about God’s thoughts towards you.  First if it was just about His thoughts, you don’t really know His thoughts.  You know His Word, so you know what He thinks about certain things: certain actions, behavior, sin and righteousness.  And you even know His thoughts were about a few people.  David for example a man after His own heart – because He was an obeyer.  Acts 13:11 – and Moses, whom God considered a friend, with Moses He spoke face to face.  But other than His nature, and character, and his law written in God’s word, and the Gospels, the good news about the Savior of the world, and the new requirements of a new kingdom.  We don’t really know what God is thinking, it’s beyond our understanding, the things He has on His plate; from the heavenlies, the earth, kingdoms and powers, both natural and spiritual.  He has a lot of thoughts, I’m sure.  Not even a fraction that are recorded in Scripture, relatively few probably, compared to the whole.  His knowledge is infinite, his thoughts are beyond searching out.  This verse spoke of His thoughts.  And how precious they were to the Psalmist.  What thoughts? His thoughts toward you.  If you love someone, you think about them all the time. God loves you, He is thinking of you.  He has thoughts about you, they are vast in number.  So how do you know that’s what it is talking about.  The Word “thoughts” (rea)<Ray’ah> means a thought, an “association of ideas” but that word ‘rea’ comes from H7462 – (ra-ah’)<raw-aw’> which means to tend a flock, associate with, as a friend, companion, make friends with.  This verse is talking about how precious are God’s thoughts as a shepherd – shepherds think about their sheep, they know every one intimately, who’s lame, who is stubborn, who will follow with just His voice.    He loves you, He’s always thinking about you, your good, to lead you to green pastures, beside still waters, even through the desert and through the fire – He’ll be there with you.  He’s the Good Shepard, who loves you and has good for you.  His thoughts toward you are vast, and good!  He’s always thinking about you, longing for your friendship and companionship, excited every time you choose Him over sin, His Word over other words, and His presence, over other things.  He’s excited about leading you in the way chosen for you, for your good, to prosper you.  He’s thinking about you, a lot.  You can know that you are loved.  You can’t know all His thoughts towards you, but God wanted you to know that He loves you and is thinking about you, a lot!  Praying that you will know – His thoughts toward you are vast – and good.  He has good things waiting for you.  Just walk in His Spirit, walk in His Word, and walk in His plans, and He will direct your steps, and make His thoughts known to you.  They are precious – and for your good.  Just imagine that!  He’s thinking about you.  It’s because you’re valuable to Him, and He loves you! 
 
Love you all,
dad